Position location systems provide the most critical tracking support information required for location-sensitive services and applications. These may include commercial, enterprise and consumer location-based services and applications such as: delivery vehicle location tracking, package or shipment location tracking; service personnel location management; workforce management; asset management; roadside assistance, city/area boundary maintenance, and driving directions; enhanced dispatch; public safety services including the provision of emergency services (112 and 911) caller location information to emergency service centers; security applications including tracking the locations of probationers; child location tracking; parents may want to be able to track the whereabouts of their children; service locator; and location in wireless sensor networks.
Apart from providing valuable location information in the case of emergencies, location-based services have great potential for commercial applications that complement mobile device usage. The ability to provide services and information that are relevant to the users at their specific location could significantly enhance direction finding, the location of specific services such as cash points and restaurants, or even checking on the whereabouts of family members and friends. The new field of Location-Based Computing also depends heavily on information provided by position location systems.